The flood control works in the Mekong Delta have helped local farmers improve rice crop yields and expand production areas, according to the Southwestern Steering Committee.

The works have created favourable conditions for the development of local aquaculture and forestry, while ensuring the stable lives of 125,000 local households.

Built between 1997 and 2006, the works aimed to ensure the summer-autumn and winter-spring rice crops and regulate the regional irrigation system in the region.

According to the Southern Irrigation Planning Institute, the ongoing construction of the flood control projects in Dong Thap Muoi (the Plain of Reeds) will prevent local flooding while protecting natural resources and making the land more fertile.

The flooded area in the Mekong Delta ranges from 1.2 to 1.4 million hectares or 30 percent of the region’s total area in years of low and medium flooding, and is between 1.6 million and 1.8 million hectares in years of high flooding. The flood season starts from July and lasts to November with peaks from September to mid-October.-VNA